Indy 500 gives drivers on the periphery a rare chance to become starters

May 24, 2014

Updated 12:00 a.m.

1 of 3

Alex Tagliani of Canada takes Turn 1 during the IndyCar race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana in October.
FILE PHOTO:
,
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 3

IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter, who started the Indy 500 from the pole last year, looks over his car in pit lane before the start of the final practice session for the Indy 500 in May 2013.
FILE PHOTO:
,
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 3

In this May 21, 2011, file photo, IndyCar driver Pippa Mann of England is shown after qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Mann will run in this year’s Indianapolis 500 for Dale Coyne Racing, her first race since she was injured in the 2011 IndyCar season finale that killed Dan Wheldon.
FILE PHOTO:
,
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alex Tagliani of Canada takes Turn 1 during the IndyCar race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana in October.
FILE PHOTO:
,
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

They are the wallflowers of IndyCar.

They sit on the sidelines for much of the IndyCar season, having been unable to obtain a regular ride on the season circuit, which is limited to 22 to 24 cars depending on the weekend or track.

They either don’t have enough sponsorship or they lack the skills to bump someone else from a steady ride.

But every Memorial Day, they become a starter in the Indy 500, a spot opened for the most prestigious race in open wheel racing thanks to the race’s history of always having 33 entries.

Since 1948, there has always been at least 33, topped by 35 in 1979. But during the rift between the CART series and Tony George’s failed Indy Racing League venture, collecting 33 contenders wasn’t easy. Even now with the sport under one flag, the Indy500 needs to fill the field with part-timers.

Some of these part-times are veteran drivers, like Buddy Lazier and Jacques Villeneuve. Some are onetime young stars in the sport, J.R. Hildebrand, who lost a regular gig. Others are novelty acts, and good drivers, too, like Kurt Busch, the NASCAR star who is driving Indy as part of a doubleheader – after Indy, he will get to Charlotte, N.C., in time for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.

A look at the guys, and gal, taking a special spin at the Brickyard Sunday:

 Martin Plowman (Foyt): Plowman is a rookie on the circuit who competed in one race this season but otherwise hasn’t driven IndyCar since a brief trial in 2011.

 Franck Montagny (Andretti): The Frenchman is a veteran driver of anything with four wheels. He’s getting his first shot behind the wheel of an IndyCar on Sunday.

 Townsend Bell (KVSH): An itinerant driver on the circuit, he’s had 25 starts in his career with two top five finishes, and this will be the fifth time in six seasons in which IndyCar will be his only start. He finished fourth in the 500 in 2009.

 Kurt Busch (Andretti Autosports): Now here’s a race superstar. The 26-year-old has 25 career NASCAR wins and had 19 top 10 finishes in 2013, including a win at Martinsville in Virginia and third at Fontana. No one is having more fun at Indy than Busch, who has qualified for fourth spot in the grid.

 Ed Carpenter (Carpenter): Carpenter is hardly a novice. He was a regular driver on the IRL circuit for years but drove for teams that were underfinanced. An oval specialist, he found success by starting his own team, hiring a street specialist – Mike Conway, the winner of the 2014 Long Beach Grand Prix – while he drives ovals. In 2011 and 2012, he posted the first two wins in a long career. He won the pole at Indy last year.

 James Davison (KV Racing): The rookie from Australia has two IndyCar races in his background, both last year.

 J.R. Hildebrand (Carpenter): Hildebrand, a rare U.S.-born driver, was a regular in 2011 and 2012 and drawing comparisons to other drivers in his age range – Will Power, Justin Wilson – but didn’t succeed enough to draw sponsorships. He had four top five finishes in 2011 and 2012, including a fifth at Long Beach each year.

 Buddy Lazier (Lazier Partners): Lazier was one of the first drivers to jump to the IRL when Tony George started his own circuit, and he had beaucoup success in the early years, winning the series title in 2001 and Indy. He was a regular one-timer at Indy from 2004 for five years, and is making his first return behind the wheel at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this season since 2008.

 Pippa Mann (Coyne): The Brit has been on the periphery of IndyCar for several years, waiting for a breakthrough opportunity. She had two IndyCar starts in 2011 and four last year, including her first Indy.

 Alex Tagliani (Fisher Hartman): Another hard-driving veteran who has struggled with sponsorship, he’s had 37 top five finishes in his long career with one win (2004). He finished third in Long Beach in 2006 and in 2008 took a year off from open wheel for a NASCAR spin in 2009.

 Jacques Villeneuve (Schmidt Peterson): How rare is it to have someone driving Indy who actually won the Indy 500 20 years ago? The veteran driver from Quebec is making a limited run comeback. He won a CART championship and five races in his two years on the circuit before heading off to F1.

 E.J. Viso (Andretti Autosports): Viso has enough support among sponsors to get a steady ride but has never converted that into on-course success: From 2008 to 2013, he ran in 100 IndyCar races, with no wins and only five top five performances, and as a result he was unable to get a steady gig in 2014.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.